Stephen King's The Wind Through the Keyhole takes place between two earlier books in King's Dark Tower sequence (Wizard and Glass and Wolves of the Calla), which means it could be considered book 4.5 in the series. In the middle of their journey to the mysterious Dark Tower, Roland Deschain and his band of gunslingers encounter a Starkblast, a rare storm that freezes and destroys everything in its path. They have no choice but to hole up and wait out the storm. To pass the time, Roland tells a story about a younger version of himself sent to help a town afflicted by a murderous shapeshifter. And there's a tale told within this tale as well, spoken to a frightened boy the younger Roland has taken under his protection.
This complicated structure complements the tales; readers will be as interested in the tale of young Roland and partner Jamie DeCurry as they are in the final inner story of Tim Ross and the magical being who later comes to be known as the Man in Black. Fans of the Dark Tower novels will thrill to the many echoes of the earlier works, with new insights into familiar characters and settings. The Wind Through the Keyhole is a commentary on the human need for stories and a fitting reminder of Stephen King's own status as master storyteller, focusing Roland Deschain's world just a little more clearly to readers both familiar and new to the series. --Rob LeFebvre, freelance writer and editor